A POLITICAL war of words has broken out after Home Secretary Charles Clarke praised Chester for leading the fight against crime.

City MP Christine Russell asked Mr Clarke to back the Lib Dem-Labour controlled city council in the Commons for its approach to reducing crime.

But her political opponent, Tory parliamentary candidate Paul Offer said she should have asked why the council was having to fund a city-wide community warden scheme at Council Tax payers' expense after a government-funded initiative was shelved.

He said: 'Chester City Council has agreed to invest in the community warden scheme. The reason they have had to do that is because government has scrapped funding for the community rangers scheme.

'It means more of the policing costs are being put on to the Council Tax payer, yet again.'

Home Secretary Mr Clarke had praised the joint effort of police and local authorities in tackling community safety issues in the city.

'I wish every district council in the country would take the kind of leadership role Chester has adopted,' he told the House of Commons.

Mr Clarke was speaking after Ms Russell MP asked him to make a statement on partnerships between local authorities and the police, aimed at reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.

Mrs Russell told the Home Secretary: 'You will be aware good partnership working in my constituency between the local authorities, the police and the fire service has led to significant reductions in crimes such as do-

mestic burglaries, which have gone down by 40 per cent in the past 12 months, and vehicle arson, which is down by more than 30 per cent.'

And she asked Mr Clarke, who visited Chester last year when he was Secretary of State for Education, to join her in congratulating Chester City Council on making community safety its number one priority.

She praised the council for investing significantly in the community warden scheme to be rolled out from next month.

Mr Clarke replied: 'I will certainly join you in congratulating Chester City Council on that initiative, and I would go further. You would also want me to congratulate Chester City Council's partners, who have worked in Chester and more widely in Cheshire to address these issues.

'The point you make, which is fundamental, is it is through the working partnership that the reductions in crime and anti-social behaviour are being achieved.